Public Transportation

I love it! Through all of my travels over the years I’ve gotten pretty savvy at navigating and using all types of public transportation. My two years in Philly really confirmed my love of public transportation. I relied on the buses and subways to get me around the city when I didn’t have my car in the city (which was 90% of the time). It was easier, cheaper and more convenient than using my car all the time.

Since I’ve returned home from TSS and felt the shock of outrageous gas prices I’ve found myself relying on public transportation more than ever before. Eight weeks home and I have been on 16 trains, 2 buses, multiple subways and a handful of trolleys. All of which have turned out to be more economical and cheaper than if I had driven. I am usually a big road tripper but I’ve only road tripped twice since returning home and that was only because public transportation was not available.

There is a bit of an adjustment when moving from relying on a car to using public transportation. It does sometimes take a little bit longer to get where I am going, I have to be more strategic about when I travel and I can’t take tons of stuff with me because I do have to haul it around a little bit. Those minor inconveniences are easy to adjust to and they will always pale in comparison to the benefits. I can relax, sleep, read and write while I’m traveling, I never have to sit in traffic or get stressed out about it, I don’t have to stop to pee or get food while traveling and with current gas prices it is officially cheaper for me use any and all forms of public transportation (including trains which aren’t the cheapest) rather than driving.

My one wish would be that cities in the US had better public transportation systems. The US is a car country. Public transportation is sometimes not as consistent, thorough or convenient as it could or should be. Unfortunately I think that discourages people from using it. Other cities around the world have WAY better and more elaborate public transportation systems than most places in the US. Perhaps one of the positive side effects of high gas prices could be that cities look to expand and improve their public transportation options. Wishful thinking? Perhaps, but a girl can dream can’t she?

If you live near a metropolitan area and have felt the crunch of gas prices I would encourage you to check out the public transportation options available to you. You might be surprised at how easy, convenient and economical the options might be.